We're all still trying to adjust to hubby's new work schedule. He leaves in the afternoon and comes home past midnight, but the man has issues. He cannot stay in bed past 8am to save his life. Which means that the baby is up. Which means I have to get up.

You'd think that he'd be exhausted by the time he gets home past midnight having woken up so early. Far from it. He wants to hang out, play with the baby, make food...etc. Last night it was well past 3am by the time we rolled into bed. And lordy help me...he was up by 8:30am this morning, and so was the baby. I have no idea how he does it, but this weird crazy schedule is really starting to tire me out.

It's starting to affect the baby's schedule too. She wakes up early to play with daddy, and when he comes home she inevitably wakes up and he'll of course play with her. I love her to pieces, but a giggling baby at midnight is just too much. As a result, her mid-day schedule is now completely wacky. She falls asleep at the weirdest times, whereas before I could have counted on a sleepy baby during the afternoon hours so I can do some errand running.

Long story short...I'm going insane. I just don't have the capability to actively function for so many hours of the day. But at the same time, I do want to be awake when hubby gets home. I don't work, so there really is no reason for him to ever have to come home to a dark empty house after a long work day. The only way that I've been able to tough it out and be somewhat alive when he makes it home is to take naps during the day.

I nap whenever I nurse the baby. I set my cell phone alarm for 30 minutes, and just zonk out on the couch or the bed when I feed her. The 30 minute alarm ensures that she gets plenty of time to get her fill, and it prevents me from going to dreamyland for a 3 or 4 hour period. I have things to do during the day...I can't sleep it away! But the things that I can do while nursing is seriously limited, not to mention it really affects her eating when I move as much as an arm - so I figured why not use that time to nap? I have to sit still anyway, so I might as well be doing something productive...like recharging my batteries so I can last these crazy long days.

My husband and I have worked various crazy schedules, so we've somewhat learned how to adjust when it happens, but it's difficult! Right now, I just quit my job, and he usually works during the day, so we're blessed with that for now!

What I'm thinking is this (and I'm sure your schedule is more complicated than a simple idea for a solution, but maybe it'll help a little): When you get up at 8am after going to bed at 3pm, you're not really "all there," right? At least part of your mind is probably still in bed, under the covers! So, what if you did something like this: Get yourself and baby back on a normal schedule. Make sure toys and such are off the floor and the house is somewhat presentable when you go to bed. Have a plate of food in the fridge, ready for him to microwave when he comes in. Leave a nice note by the microwave that he can read as his food is heating. Have the TV turned to his favorite station on a low volume, so he just has to push the power button (or if he's a reader, have his book or magazine in his favorite eating place). When he comes in, you and baby can be snoozing away, and he can relax by himself, but he'll still feel loved due to the nice things you've prepared for him. Then he'll go to sleep before 3am since there's nobody to talk to, and everyone can wake up at 8am and be happy about it! You could even make breakfast while he plays with baby so he won't have to miss that time with her.

Again, I'm sure your life isn't so easy that I could fix it with a simple comment, but learning from my experiences and mistakes, those are some things that have helped us get through unusual schedules.